


Kitty Hawk

by Pohadka



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, and a dash of angst, bucky barnes and a cat, maximum fluff!, of sorts, winterhawk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 02:13:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11049162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pohadka/pseuds/Pohadka
Summary: Team Captain America patrols Brooklyn now, off the books.  Team Ironman keep their whiskers tucked into Manhattan and both parties stay out of each other's hair.  Strange things are pawing around New York these days, and a surprise catches Cap's team off guard. And a certain Archer and his best friend just might lose another life or two.  What else is a fuzzy ex-Assassin to do, but keep them safe while Steve noses around for the cure? He just might discover an answer of his own while they're in play.





	Kitty Hawk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foolishnotions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foolishnotions/gifts).



This was new, even for Brooklyn. It wasn’t often that they had to rely on Bucky to do the pickup and cleanup after a job, but Steve had asked when they came up shorthanded rather abruptly. “Are you sure this is the place?” he grumbled into his com. The alley was empty. There was no sign of either Barton or Romanoff. 

“Both their trackers are in that alley. If they’re not there, then this guy was more trouble than we thought,” Steve answered. “Sam’s Redwing swung through there just a minute ago.” 

Bucky sighed then started to work his way down the alley with his rifle out, visually clearing each alcove and shadow behind dumpsters. He started to sort through all the retorts and comments he could assault Sam with when he got to the end of the alley with no results. 

He turned to look down the alley one last time, then paused. At this angle, he could see the bow he’d missed the first time. “Got Barton’s bow, no Barton.” 

“Sending Redwing back through. He never lets that thing go,” Wilson answered. 

“Yeah okay,” Bucky replied absently, moving over to fish the bow out, looking closer for more clues. The new arm that T’challa’s people gave him moved the dumpster out easily, and he saw the lumpy black and purple leather than the archer preferred. “Huh.” 

“Huh? What did you find, Buck?” Steve grunted a little. “Stay down. Asshole secured.” 

Bucky picked up the uniform, cocking his head as he looked it over. “I have bow, I have gear. I even have boots. But no Barton or Romanoff.” He swung his rifle to his back again, shifting to pick up all the gear and stow it in the backpack he still carried everywhere, then stood up, bow in hand.

“I’d say that’s weird, but it’s also possible with Barton,” Sam commented. Bucky turned at the soft whirr behind him. Redwing started scanning the area again with a red beam. “I’m catching Romanoff’s tracker above your head.” 

“Joy.” Bucky sighed, then started climbing. 

On a fire escape three stories up, he found Romanoff’s black suit and boots, but like Barton’s gear below, no person.

“Okay that is weird. Natasha NEVER knocks off in the middle of a fight for anything, much less skin suit time with Barton.” Sam’s sighing was getting epic. 

Over that and the whirr of Redwing, Bucky thought he heard something else. Like Barton’s gear, he stuffed Widow’s suit into his back, grumbling as it all starts to bulge everywhere.

“Should we swing back?” Steve asked as Bucky started to climb up further. The roof of the building was only a few more feet. 

“Keep that guy out of play,” Bucky ordered, not paying attention to his tone. He shifted the bow, then pulled his rifle forward again before going up the last few steps. 

The roof was empty. Of humans at least. Nearby he saw a pair of cats staring at him. One was a striped yellow cat, the other was darker, with streaks of red. Bucky ignored them at first, turning to clear the roof, then the building next to it. 

He turned back to the cats, putting his rifle at ease. “You two haven’t seen a couple naked ass humans running around, have you?” 

The red one yawned, turning her head daintily away from him. The yellow one cocked its head at him, staring intently. Without really knowing why, Bucky knelt down to hold out his hand to them. Both of them ignored it. “How’d you get up here, huh? That’s a really long climb.” 

“Police are here, I’m coming back. Gonna swing by the rooftop I saw them on last,” Steve said. Bucky looked up. He could actually see him about five buildings away. 

“Okay. All I found were a couple of cats up here. Does that nut job have anything that could blast humans out of their clothes?” Bucky asked.

“Like a disintegration ray?” Sam asked. “That guy did have some strange stuff.” 

A long silence hung between the two of them. Bucky didn’t quite know why, but he assumed there should have been another voice. Maybe the one that stayed in Manhattan while they stuck to Brooklyn. Maybe Wanda, but she preferred to listen from the compound, not speak.

“We could… send it over to be inspected,” Steve started. 

“We’re not even supposed to be in the country. That’d be a calling card,” Sam replied. Bucky turned his attention back to the cats. The red one still stared at him, but the yellow one had started creeping forward. 

“You know, I think I have a bit of jerky in my bag.” Bucky chewed on his lip, staring at the cats still. The yellow one had gray eyes, and a scar on his ear. He looked like a dumpster cat, only cleaner. 

Bucky paused, thinking, then cocked his head at the yellow cat. “Might have coffee, if you wanna take a ride.” 

The cat yowled then jumped forward, diving into the spot where Bucky had just pulled Widow’s suit from. “Shit.” 

“That’s not a good sound, Buck,” Steve said. Across the rooftops, Bucky could see him turning around. 

“Yeah. Hang on.” Bucky held the bag open, then slipped into Russian. << Come on. Get in. You hate sleeping on roofs. >>

She gave him a disgusted look, then daintily stepped into the bag. The yellow cat’s tail was waving around in the air as his front end rooted around in the bag. 

“Take the shit across the river,” Bucky grumbled, zipping the bag shut and folding Widow’s suit over it. “We don’t have anyone who can handle this.” 

“What do you mean? You found them?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. Your world is weird. Who the hell turns people into cats?” 

~ ~ ~ ~

The three of them took turns staring at the cats. Natasha stared back, sitting on the center of the table. Wanda had confirmed that their teammates were indeed the cats. She’d spent the next thirty minutes trying to find something to tempt them with. 

Clint, of course, had fallen off the table, climbed a counter, knocked half their gear off, then dunked himself into the pot still half full of cold coffee. 

“Not it!” Sam said first, followed close by Steve.

“Fine. Since Bucky and I don’t exactly exist, you two get to go across the river,” Wanda retorted, crossing her arms. “We need Banner, if not Stark. It’s not something I can do.” 

“Ugh,” Sam groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I take it back, I’ll wash the cat.” They all ignored Clint’s hiss from the pot. 

“No take backs. Besides, I’ve been looking forward to having Barton on mute some day.” Bucky grinned at the cat, reaching to pick up the pot with his flesh hand and pinching the back of Clint’s neck with his vibranium fingers. The cat growled and twisted, but couldn’t get loose. 

“Just... It’s probably going to take a few days, once we show up. I don’t think there’s a back door to Tony anymore. Don’t kill him, okay?” 

“What about locking him in a box?” Bucky smiled, turning the dripping cat to face him, laughing at the half-hearted swipe of a paw. 

“Natasha will get him out if you do.” Steve shrugged, then picked up the strange devise the scientist had carried. 

Bucky paused, turning to watch Steve and Sam. “You need us to come get you, we will.” 

“We will tear the Tower to the ground if we have to,” Wanda said behind him. He nodded, giving them both the steady look he’d been practicing. He didn’t want to admit it, but Sam had helped the most, with figuring out what a normal human did these days. 

Sam pointed at Wanda, nodding. “Counting on that, little sister.” 

~ ~ ~ ~

Barton the cat did not take kindly to being bathed. But his claws couldn’t do much against vibranium, no matter how much he tried. Afterwards, Wanda talked him into a truce by promising to keep a bowl of coffee out as long as he didn’t swim in it.

Afternoon bled into evening. Bucky spent his time amusing himself by building walkways along the walls. Natasha seemed to appreciate that, leaping from one to another. Clint was happy to curl up with the remote and his bowl of coffee. After an hour, Wanda sighed and went up to her rooftop garden, leaving the felines with Bucky.

He didn’t mind, not really. He was getting used to the staring that Natasha always did. And it was nice to have peace and quiet as he put the armory back in order. This was the job he’d claimed as his own when they chose to base themselves in Brooklyn. Wanda had told them that trouble would come to the city again. It made her happy to be here and well… Barton had known quite a few good pizza places. 

Both cats had followed him in to supervise him while he tended to their gear. Natasha was satisfied when he tested her zappers and replaced any that looked low on juice. Barton had jumped up to paw at each arrow as they were sorted then put away in storage or in his repair bin. If the trick with the coffee hadn’t convinced him of the cat’s real identity, then this definitely did. But Bucky approved. One had to know their gear as intimately as they could. And these were Barton’s specialty. 

He was making a fish chowder when Wanda came back in and turned on the television. 

Steve, of course, had made the news. That happens, when you make Captain America a wanted felon. He had walked right up to the front door of Stark Tower to knock. But he was alone, which meant he was distracting everyone so Sam could get in undetected. 

Both cats abandoned him for the couch next to Wanda. Probably best. His control wasn’t quite where he wanted it to be with this new arm. He did pause long enough to slip the comm back into his ear. Just in case. 

~ ~ ~ ~

“Bucky? Wanda? Either of you listening?”

Bucky rolled over, glaring into the darkness. Or rather, tried to. There was a large feline sprawled across his chest and a tight ball of heat against his side. 

“Yeah, I’m here. Wilson?” 

“It’s me. Still trying to get Steve out of the mess he made.”

Bucky blinked, staring at the ceiling. Neither cat moved. He wasn’t sure, but he thought Barton was snoring. He carefully picked the cat up and moved him beside Natasha before easing out of the bed. 

“What’s the word?”

“Well, Banner’s working on the device. Tony’s out doing, uh, whatever it is Tony does. But it’s in the media, so he and Steve are taking all the heat. How’re things there?” Sam sounded tired.

“Well, they’re still the same. Even as a cat, Barton is annoying. Wanda says they’re worried.”

“They might have reason to be. Banner says there’s no setting on that thing to make someone change form. He’s requesting the rest of the crap we took off that guy.” 

“Fuck.” Bucky sighed, then turned to look at the cats taking up the center of his bed. “Are we going to have to bring them over?” 

“No. Ah, probably wouldn’t be good for either you or Wanda, so sit tight. We’ll figure something out.” 

“Okay. Hey Wilson?”

“Yeah, Bucky?” 

“Go get some sleep, you sound like shit.” 

Sam snorted, but the line went silent. 

Bucky looked back at the cats on his bed. Barton had eased into the warm dip and sprawled out on his back, all four paws in the air. Natasha had inched over to his side, but otherwise didn’t look like she’d woken up. He’d let them sleep, then tell them what Sam had relayed. 

It wasn’t until he was stirring sugar into his coffee that he realized he didn’t a nightmare for the first time since they pulled him out of cryo. 

~ ~ ~ ~

Two days became three, then four, then a whole week. To Barton’s dismay, a feline body didn’t operate so well on coffee and pizza. After two days, he stopped wailing and gave in, trying the tidbits Bucky created to tempt a carnivore. The fish by itself seemed to be best, but Natasha literally rolled around in the stew and earned herself a bath. 

Wanda was the one who brought the catnip in. That’s when the whole fascination with the camera built into a cell phone finally made sense to Bucky, because he now had enough blackmail material to last at least a month once they were back to normal. 

Natasha blitzed around the stronghold, battling everything she could reach, including Steve’s new helmet, Wanda’s hair, Bucky’s laces, but most especially Barton himself. 

Barton rolled around in the catnip, spreading it across the floor, then lay in the mess for an hour, so stoned that he didn’t even twitch when Natasha tackled him.

Both cats slept hard the rest of the day. To celebrate, Bucky made Wanda a Sokovian version of shepherd’s pie that she told him about. 

Bucky was glad that they were asleep, because that’s when Sam sent a photo labeled Captain Americat. Even in feline form, Steve had that look of severe disappointment. He turned out to be a pale white cat with vivid blue eyes. 

“Well, as you can see, Stark figured out the transition. He thinks he can work the reverse as well. And before you yell, you know Steve volunteered.”

“I know. Not his keeper anymore.” Bucky grinned as the realization swept through him. He wasn’t Steve’s keeper. “You are, Sam.” 

“And I’m doing such a great job at it.” 

“That tone of voice, that’s sarcasm, right? Shouldn’t be.” Bucky leaned against the counter, eyes on Wanda as she ‘listened in’ on the conversation. She didn’t want to use the comms but she also didn’t want to be left out. Bucky didn’t mind her in his head. First line of defense if those words really weren’t out of his head, he figured.

“Since I’ve met him, we brought down Shield, tore the Avengers apart, and made Captain America a wanted fugitive.” 

“Yeah, but he’s still alive. And he keeps telling me about all the new stuff you’ve introduced him to. Huge Marvin Gay fan now, you know.” 

“Yeah? Hey wait, are you trying to give me a pep talk, Barnes?” 

Bucky grinned at Wanda, who smiled back. “Maybe you’re better with a little distance, I dunno.” 

“Yeah, that sounds more like you. Keep listening in, Friday’s promised not to track the signal as long as you two stay in Brooklyn.” 

“That’s an interesting development.” 

Sam chuckled, then his voice went softer. “Yeah well, Stark’s guilt and fear combined can do some really interesting things. He’s pretty sure that you, Wanda, and maybe Steve would gang up on him.”

“Oh it wouldn’t be the boys,” Wanda finally said. “I could take care of that all by myself.” 

“SHE SPEAKS!” 

Bucky winced at the new voice, rubbing at his ear. “Knock that shit off!”

“Sorry, Banner’s a little excited. There’s uhm… history,” Sam said.

“When is there not? Ugh. I’m going to lay down while I can.” Bucky pointed at Wanda to be in charge, then headed off to his bed. Every time he tried to sleep, he ended up with a cat lying on him. If it wasn’t for the hair they both shed everywhere, he wouldn’t mind, really.

Because when they did sleep with him, he didn’t dream. 

~ ~ ~ ~

In the end, it wasn’t Stark or Banner with the answer, or even Wanda. 

Just simply, time. 

Bucky woke up slow, and overheated. Arms overlapped his chest, not letting him move without effort. Both muscular, in their own way. But the hair in his face was dishwater blond and short, not long and red. And thankfully, both of them were above the covers. 

“Guys. Uhm. Please wake up.” Of course, it wasn’t that simple. He shifted, digging his new arm out to poke each of them in the ribs. “Barton, Romanoff, for fuck’s sake, go back to your own beds. And clothes. So many clothes!” 

Natasha woke up first, shifting like a cat and raising up on her elbows to smile lazily at him. She didn’t seem to care that her right elbow was in his ribs. “I was having the loveliest dream.”

“Well… I’m glad. It turned you back to human.” Bucky gave her a pointed look, then reached over to turn on the light. 

She shifted, then looked down at herself. “Mmhmm, yeah. That happened couple hours ago.” It didn’t seem to concern her as she curled back up against him, head on his right shoulder. 

“And yet you decided to stay?” Having her against him woke whispers of memory, still mostly buried beyond the scars of repeated trips through the chair. 

“You’re warm,” she said simply, pressing more against him. He guessed that maybe there was still a little bit of the cat in her. 

On his left side, Barton had simply grunted and rolled over to press his back into the hollow of Bucky’s side. Still naked, but human. Even if he was purring. 

At least his left arm was free to grab the phone with its built in camera. 

~ ~ ~ ~

Things went back to normal. At least, what was normal for them. Steve and Sam came back. Thankfully, Steve was human again. And there was peace brokered between their two factions. The tacit agreement that if you stayed on your side of the bridge, we’d stay on our side became a verbal agreement, with conditions for cooperation when needed. 

Barton and Romanoff both went back to their rooms and agreed to wear clothes again. Catnip tea became a regular thing. After a few days, Romanoff became more her old self than cat.

Bucky’s nightmares returned. 

After the third night of waking up and screaming, he found himself picking the lock to Barton’s room. He’d only been here once, to help the archer move furniture in. It was in the very top of the warehouse, three floors above Bucky’s own room. 

Nothing had really changed inside, except now it smelled like burnt coffee. He checked the pot, just to make sure it was unplugged. 

Barton slept sprawled across his bed. Pillows had been tossed to the floor. Bucky shook his head as he picked them up and replaced them. He didn’t bother with the blankets, but instead mimicked what Barton had put him through. He curled up on his side, pressing his back against the archer’s ribs. And slept. 

Sunlight woke him hours later. Soft fingertips stroked through his hair, and he felt calm. So calm. Like he hadn’t felt since before the war. 

He rolled over and blinked up at Clint’s smiling face. “Good morning, Kitty.”

“Hi,” he replied lamely. At least Clint was amused. 

“Sleep better up here?” The question was soft, but filled with amusement. 

“Mmmhmm. That okay?” Bucky’s lip caught onto his teeth, holding in the anxiety that waited for the answer.

“Well it’s only fair.” A pause, then Clint’s tone dropped. “I hated the nightmares too.”

Bucky relaxed, leaning into the archer. “You still snore.” 

“Yeah, well, always have.” The warm body shifted, arm drifting down to wrap around Bucky’s waist. “Wanted to ask you up here before. Didn’t think you were ready.” 

“Yeah? Why?” Bucky turned just enough to watch his eyes.

Something in their grey depths shifted, deepened as Clint’s arm tightened around him. “You were still learning to how to choose for yourself again. That was important.” 

“How long did it take you?” Steve had shared that story, explained why Clint was so important to them all.

“Not long. But he only had me for a few days. You had… too much. You had too much.” 

“Mmm.” Bucky paused, thinking. “I like sugar in my coffee. I don’t like mushrooms.” 

“Yeah. I really like how warm you were to sleep with. I like how Wanda seems to know when you need company and when it’s best to let you think.” 

“I like that too. She talks to me.” Bucky tapped his head. “Ever since they woke me up.”

“Sam drives me nuts cause he’s always acting like he’s in charge.” Bucky laughed softly. Clint had a point.

“I like that he’s Steve’s keeper now. Not me.” 

“So you do know how to choose now.” Clint’s voice dropped again. There was a tone that Bucky didn’t know, but it made him tingle inside. 

“I think so, yeah.” He could hear Clint’s pulse jump and his breathing go tight in his throat. “Want to know another thing I like?” 

“Mmhmm?” 

Bucky swallowed his own jumping nerves, then whispered softly, “I like the way you think I don’t see you. Wait,” he paused, pushing up on his elbow to watch Clint’s nervous gulp. “No, I don’t like that. I see you, Clint Barton. I see you.” 

“How long?” Bucky could practically smell the nerves jumping through Clint’s veins now.

“Since I woke up. You’ve always watched.” 

“I did. Is that okay?” 

“Yeah. So’s this.” He leaned in slowly to press his lips to Barton’s. It was too early for him to taste right. Too early for coffee.” 

“Mm yeah. That’s really okay.” Clint pressed in, continuing the kiss. 

A long time later, Clint finally came up with another question. 

“Would it be a bad thing if we used that thing on the others to get a week alone?” 

Bucky decided he really liked laughing with Clint.

**Author's Note:**

> I love that birthday fic is a thing in fandom. Happy birthday Foolish one! And many happy returns! In multiples of nine, to be sure. ;)
> 
> Edited by Floryana, who keeps my cupcakes busy. ;)


End file.
